Victor Oladipo on comparisons to Paul George: 'I'm sick and tired of it'

Nothing will forever fuse players together like being traded for one another.

It’s only natural, though. Trades may get judged immediately after they are executed, but the winners, often, aren’t actually revealed until much time has elapsed.

Consider, for example, that the entire NBA was up in arms when, in 2008, the Grizzlies traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers for what was deemed to be an “underwhelming” package. In return, the Lakers got two first round picks and a bunch of role players.

Oh yea, they also got Pau’s younger brother, Marc.

Almost 10 years later (I can’t believe it’s been THAT long), Gasol (Marc, not Pau) is considered to be one of the best centers in the league. Although Pau is still a serviceable player, Marc has become THE franchise player in Memphis.

The same can be said of the 2012 trade that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers. Howard went to the Lakers and Andrew Bynum (remember him?) went to Philadelphia. The trade also involved quite a few other players, including: Earl Clark, Chris Duhon, Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Josh McRoberts, Jason Richardson and Andre Iguodala.

Know who else was included in that trade? Nikola Vucevic. And believe it or not, he was an afterthought. He also happens to be the only one of the more than 12 players involved in that deal to still be with the team that acquired him. Go figure.

So we only say all of that to say that when players are traded for each other, aside from judging the “winner” of the trade in the immediate term, we need to keep a close eye on the development of the players and what happens with their careers afterward.

For example, if George ends up leaving the Thunder this summer, nobody would persist in saying that the Thunder “won” the trade. Of course, the argument could be made that George’s acquisition played a direct role in Westbrook re-signing with the franchise, but that’s another story for another day. Based on facts, few would persist with the notion if George bolts… But few may be persisting, even now.

The Thunder enter play on December 11 at 12-13, while the Pacers are 16-11 and are coming off a streak-breaking win over the Cavaliers. Team LeBron saw their bid at setting a new franchise record for consecutive wins thwarted in Indianapolis on Saturday night.

Oladipo, it should be noted, is enjoying a career year. He’s averaging 24.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, four assists and 1.8 steals per game. He’s also shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the three-point line.

While George is averaging an astonishing 2.5 steals per game, he’s averaging just 20.7 points is a shooting just 41.6 percent from the field. If his accuracy doesn’t improve, it would be the worst full-season shooting percentage of his career.

It is somewhat ironic. Oladipo, on Sunday, said he’s tired of the comparisons, yet, by his simply making that declaration, he’s encouraging us to compare the two.

“I’m kind of getting sick and tired of the comparisons with Paul George and myself,” Oladipo said on Sunday.

“He’s moved on. I moved on. I’m happy [in Indianapolis]. He’s happy there. I wish him all the best.”

This from #Victor Oladipo, on the trade that brought him to #Pacers – "I'm kind of getting sick and tired of the comparisons with Paul George and myself. He's moved on. I moved on. I'm happy here, he's happy there. I wish him all the best. I'm feathery, right here as a Pacer."

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Moke Hamilton

Moke Hamilton is a writer and columnist for the USA TODAY Sports Media Group's NBA Wire. Based in New York City, Moke has covered the NBA for seven seasons, previously working for Turner Sports and NBC Universal. He can be heard from time to time on the airwaves of 98.7FM ESPN New York.